Condenser.



P. THOMAS.

CONDENSER.

APPLICATION mum no.4, 1913.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

Z I IEVENTVOR WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY PHILLIPS THOMAS, or WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, assienon To WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CONDENSER.

Specification of Letters Patent. 1 Patented Sept, 29, 1914,;

Application filed December 4,1918. Seria1No. 804,757.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILLIPS THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of-W ilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Condensers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrical devices, and it has particular reference to improvements in static electric condensers.

In the manufacture of condensers, difiiculty has been experienced in obtaining considerable capacity without making the condensers inconvemently large and, therefore, expensive to construct. V

Heretofore, parafiin has been extensively utilized for the dielectric in condensers that are to be subjected to severe service, but, because of the low specific inductive capacity and the low melting point thereof, paraifin is not fully satisfactory. Again, it is necessary for such condensers to be impregnated with the parafiin in vacuo so as to insure the evaporation of moisture absorbed by, or condensed upon, the conducting plates and the intermediate insulating fabric.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide a condenser which will be simple and inexpensive to construct and which will have a much larger electrostatic capacity than that of condensers heretofore constructed, and of an equal plate area and similar dimensions.

Another object of my invention is to provide a condenser in which the impregnating material thereof will have a substantially high dielectric strength and a high melting point. p

A further object of my invention is to provide a condenser which will be compact and have sufiicient mechanical strength to adapt it particularly for severe service condition's.

The various features of novelty constituting invention will be particularly pointed out'in the claims, but, fora better understanding of the various objects and advantages of my invention, reference may be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in I which Figures'l and 2 are plan and side views, respectively, but partially in section, of a pondenser embodying a form of my inv'en Referring to the figures, my condenser comprises a plurality of spaced electrical conductlng plates 1 which are alternately connected to binding posts 2 and 3. The plates 1 are insulated from one another by papershects 4 and an impregnating insulatmg materlal 5. A longitudinally projecting portion 6, formed on each plate 1, is provided with an opening through which a conducting rod 7 of the one or the other of the bmdin posts 2 and 3 projects. Sleeves 8, locate between adjacent extensions 6 and engagingtherewith, embrace the rods 7 and therefore reinforce the conducting plates 1.

The impregnating material 5 is a substitution product of'a fatty acid. Of the various substitution products of fatty acids, I have found that a halogenized fatty acid, and particularly chlorinated stearic acid, is preferable because of the unusual properties of these bodies which enhance the electrical and mechanical qualities of the condenser.

In general, the impregnating material 5, the properties of which I have discovered to be eminently desirable in an electrical condenser,'is made by having an element of the halogen group, such as chlorin, and preferably electrically generated 'chlorin, react on an organic substance comprising a quantity of fatty acid, particularly stearic acid. The chlorin is derived from a suitable source, such source being preferably an electrolytic apparatus, and is transmitted through a liquid or liquefied body to be chlorinated under suitable conditions, of heat and pressure. The chlorin atoms replace an equal number of hydrogen atoms in the fatty or stearic acid which results in the making of a composition having a wax nature. This process of manufacture is old in the art, as is lso the product, but I believe that I am the first to utilize chlorinated stearic acid, or other halogenized fatty acids, in electric condensers.

'As'above mentioned, paraffin-has been extensively used heretofore in condensers, and

a comparison of the properties of paraflin and chlorinated stearic acid will indicate the advantages derived by using the latter in condensers as a substitute for parafiin. 5 Paraiiin, in the state of refinement which'is desirable for condenser purposes, melts at about 62 0., whereas, chlorinated'stearic acid, of the form which I desire to use, melts at about'135-C. The specific inductive capacity of parafiin is. from.1.9 to 3.0, while that of chlorinated stearic acid is from 4.5 to 5. 0; and the dielectric strength of p'arafiin isabout 1000 volts per mil, .while'that of chlorinated stearic acid is about 900 volts per mil. From the foregoing comparison it will be apparent that a condenser having a given plate area, given distances between the respective plates, and a dielectric of chlorinated stearic acid will have electrical and mechanical qualities far superior to a condenser similarly constructed but having paraflin as a .dielectric. '1 In constructing condensers, it is usual to build up a series of plates which are separated from one another by a paper fabric having .no finished surface, such as rice paper. When parafiin is to be used as the dielectric, the above-mentioned structure is' heated in an evacuated chamber in order to drive ofi' any moisture which may have ac cumulated upon the conducting plates and the intermediate paper fabric. Paraffin is subsequently admitted into this evacuated chamber. After the structure has become thoroughly impregnated, the condenser is withdrawn and allowed to cool, thereby permitting the parafiin to solidify. Inasmuch as the melting point of chlorinated stearic acid is considerably higher than that of 40 paraiiin, it is unnecessary; to place a condenser structure in an evacuated chamber in order to impregnate the condenser with this material, because the melting point thereof is sufiiciently high to drive off all moisture which may have accumulated on the condenser fabric.

From the .foregoing description of my invention, it is apparent that, giventwo similar condensers, one impregnated with paraiiin and the other impregnated with chlorinated stearic acid, the latter may be operated at materially higher temperatures without deterioration; that its capacity will be substantially increased, and that the dielectric strength between plates will be substantially the same. Again, the condenser in which chlorinated stearic acid is'employed as the dielectric, will be able to withstand severe impacts and mechanical blows without impairing the insulating properties thereof.

While I have herein described somewhat in detail a form of my invention, it will be plates and the interposed paper 11-65 understood by those'skilled in the art, that many modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I I.claim as my invention:

I 1. An electrical condenser having a di- 73 electric comprising a halogenized fatty acid.

2. An electrical condenser having a dielepitric comprising a halogenized stearic aci r 3. An electrical condenser having a di- 5 electriccomprising chlorinated stearic acid. 4. An electrical condenser having a di electric comprising a substitution product of a fatty acid, said substitution in the fatty acid being effected by means of an electrically generated chemical element.

5. An electrical condenser having a dielectric comprising a substitution product of a fatty acid, said substitution in the fatty acid being effected by means of an electrig5 cally generated element of the halogen group.

6. An electrical condenser having a dielectric comprising a substitution product of a fatty acid, said substitution in the fatty acidbeing effected by means of electrically generated chlorin. V a

7. An electrical condenser having a dielectric comprising a substitution product of stearic acid, said substitution being effected by atoms of an electrically generated element replacing at least one of the hydrogen atoms of the stearic acid.

8. An electrical condenser having a dielectric comprising a substitution product of stearic acid, said substitution being effected by atoms of one of the elements of the halogen group replacing at least one of the hydrogen atoms of the stearic acid.

9. An electrical condenser having a dielectric comprising a substitution product of stearic acid, such substitution being effected by chlorin atoms replacing at least one of the hydrogen atoms of the stearic acid.

10. An electrical condenser having a dielectric comprising a substitution product of stearic acid, said substitution being effected by chlorin atoms evolved from an electrolized chlorid replacing at least one of the hydrogen atoms of the stearic acid.

- 11. An electrical condenser having a dielectric comprising fibrous material impregnated with a halogenized fatty acid.

12. An electrical condenser having a di-- electric comprising fibrous material impregnated with a chlorinated fatty acid.

13. An electrical condenser having a di-' electric comprising fibrous material impregnated with a halogenized stearic acid.

14. An electrical condenser having a dielectric comprising fibrous material impregnated with chlorinated stearic acid. 1

15. An electrical condenser having a dielectric comprising paper impregnated with a halogenized fatty acid.

16. An electrical condenser having a di-- electric comprising paper impregnated with. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto a chlorinated fatty acid. subscribed my name this 28th day of Now, 10

17. An electrical condenser having a di- 1913. electric comprising paper impregnated with PHILLIPS THOMAS 5 a halogenized stearic acid.

18. An electrical condenser having a di- Witnesses: electric comprising paper impregnated With B. B. HINES,

chlorinated stearlc acid. M. C. MERZ. 

